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WELCOME TO THE MAINE IMMIGRANT RESOURCE HUB & HOTLINE

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NOTE: This is a working document, undergoing regular updates, translations, and legal review.

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REACH THE HOTLINE BY CLICKING THE LIGHTHOUSE ABOVE OR DIALING (207) 544-9989. The full Resource Hub is currently available in Español & Portuguese. Find legal resources in: French / Arabic / Mandarin / Haitian Creole / ASL / Bengali / Hindi / Khmer / Korean / Laos / Tagalog / Telugu / Viet. Click here for translation assistance with other languages.

You can share resource flyers in your neighborhood! Download Maine ICE Watch Hotline multilingual small flyers, large poster, small poster.

  1. Know Your Rights – All American residents have rights! 
  2. Know Your Status – Stay up to date on your immigration status.
  3. Make Your Plan – Prepare yourself and your family. 
  4. Find Resources – Find organizations and tools near you that offer support. 
  5. Documenting ICE – Send your photos and videos HERE
  6. Support Detainees – Coordinate support for people detained by ICE. 
  7. Take Action – Get involved! Support Your Community!

Other ICE Watch hotlines across New England ⬇️

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

All people living in the United States have rights—regardless of your citizenship status. Take a moment to learn about YOUR personal rights. You should learn about your rights beforehand so you can exercise them when needed.  

Additional Reading – Check out these multilingual and scenario-based KYR resources by ILAP, CLINIC, and the ACLU. 

KNOW YOUR STATUS

The Federal administration is making changes to immigration. Stay up to date on your immigration status and any changes that may be relevant to you. 

Also see info flyer at the bottom of the page on “revetting” your refugee status.

MAKE YOUR PLAN

While we hope for the best, we need to plan for the worst. 

Helpful Tools – Consider downloading the ReadyNow! App or InstaSOS App to set up your textable emergency plans. Print Red Cards to carry with you to remind you of your rights. For additional reading, check out these planning workbooks by the Appleseed Network and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center. We also recommend this resource related to caring for children and this resource related to life after deportation.

FIND RESOURCES

Organizations in Maine are offering help to meet your basic needs: food, housing, health care, and more! If you are looking for people who can support you, please: 

Resource Directories – Check out Find Help and/or 211Maine to find organizations offering resources to meet basic needs in Maine. Other available support hotlines exist for:

YOUR RIGHT TO RECORD

Everyone in the United States has the constitutional right to record public officials, including immigration or law enforcement officers, as long as doing so does not interfere with their duties.Your first priority, however, should be to do no harm. Please note that exposing someone’s identity could put them at greater risk. 

SAFETY NOTES:

  • Your Safety – Do not attempt to verify (check on) whether ICE is present in your community if you are concerned about your safety. Things like perceived identity (race, gender, mental health status, etc), vulnerable immigration status, or criminal/ legal history could elevate risk. Be aware: Law enforcement officers are trained to prioritize their own safety during encounters. This can make filming situations tense or unpredictable, so assess your own safety first.
  • Report Abuses – If you believe you were harassed, threatened, harassed, intimidated, detained, or subject to the use of force by federal immigration enforcement while observing ICE agents, report the incident to the ACLU of Maine.  
  • Your Wellbeing- Witnessing and experiencing state violence can be traumatic. Try to identify things to calm yourself and care for others. If you are able, ask the person experiencing violence what they need and what could help de-escalate the situation.
  • You and Your Devices –  All of Maine is within 100 miles of the U.S. border, therefore you and your devices are more vulnerable to searches. Laws and policies are constantly changing here, so we recommend regularly consulting the ACLU Maine Know Your Rights page and the other links here for up-to-date information. 

SUPPORT DETAINEES 

If someone has been detained, you and your community need to work together to support them. The key steps of Detainee Support are below. **Starred items are important to do first, but all items should be covered rapidly. For additional information on detainee support, check out the National Immigrant Justice Center. 

**Detainee Tracking and Court Date – One of your first actions in supporting a detainee is to find out where they have been taken and if/ when their court date is. 

  • Track Detained Person’s Location – Identify where the detained person is HERE. Please note that you need the individual’s A-Number and country of birth OR their full name, country of birth and date of birth in order to track their location. If you are still unable to find them online, you can try contacting the nearest ICE ERO field office or the specific detention facilities you suspect.
  • Detention Center Contact – Search detention center contact information HERE. You may contact the detention facility to schedule calls or visits. Some facilities allow for in-person visitation while others may provide for video-visitation only.
  • Court Date – Check their immigration court case status (if they have a court date yet) by clicking HERE. Please note that you need their A number and country of birth. If you have any trouble finding your court date, check out ILAP’s great Self Help Guide. 

**Coordinate Legal Representation – Immigration cases for detained people move quickly, and it is important to quickly coordinate legal representation for the individual who has been detained. To find a lawyer, check out the resources below. 

Collect Needed Information – Collect information related to the person detained and their family. Ask the following questions: 

  • Basic Information – Record their full legal name and address. Record family information such as spouse, children, and other live-in relatives/ friends. 
  • Immigration/ Criminal Information – What is the person’s A# and country of birth? How did the person enter the country? If they crossed the border, were they arrested/apprehended/detained by border patrol? Collect any prior immigration applications filed and receipt notices, as well as any police reports, probable cause affidavits, charging documents, and sentencing documents.
  • Emergency Plan – Does the person who was detained have an emergency plan for them and their family? Collect and review all documents they have prepared. 
  • Detention Incident If anyone witnessed the detention, they should describe everything that happened. Who else was present? Was anyone else detained? What did the agents say? Did they aggressively touch or move anyone? Was anyone hurt?

Financial Assistance – Coordinate financial assistance for the detained person, such as bail bond, commissary, and family stability assistance. The following organizations are growing in Maine and here to help. PLEASE NOTE: These funds are heavily used and application forms may occasionally “close” as the organization works through a backlog of applications. 

  • Solidarity Fund – Inquire for financial support. This fund is eligible to immigrants, undocumented community members, and other marginalized communities, offering the following supports: Bail and bond payments, legal fees, emergency family support, application fees for immigration documents.
  • Community Relief Fund (CRF) – If you live in Central, Midcoast, or Northern Maine, inquire for financial support. This fund is a community and BIPoC led, autonomous, mutual aid, and rapid response effort eligible to families coping with the emotional and financial burden of loved ones taken by ICE or Border Patrol in Wabanakiek (Maine). CRF offers support for expenses such as: Bail support, monetary support, resource sharing, family strategy support.
  • Mainers for Humane Immigration (Flyer) – Inquire for resources or call their intake hotline at (207) 747-1409. This fund is eligible to people in ICE detention and the families left navigating its consequences, offering the following supports: commissary support, post-release support, bond assistance, and paper bridges.
  • Project Relief ME– Inquire for support. This fund is a Black immigrant-led mutual aid group assisting with housing, diapers, groceries, transport, clothing, and legal aid to those impacted by ICE and systemic injustice.
  • L/A Rapid Response Fund – Inquire for resources. This fund is strategically designed to keep those impacted by ICE operations in their home and in their community. This looks like eviction prevention, backing efforts to coordinate eviction moratoriums, and providing direct support to those facing housing insecurity.
  • Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) – Inquire for financial support. This organization offers immigration bond support for people with a connection to the state of Massachusetts (detained in MA, living in MA, or with immigration court in MA).

Community Support – Identify community organizations that can support detainees and their families. Connect with:

  • Local Community Support Groups – Reach out to local resettlement groups and Ethnic Community leaders.
  • Employer – the detainee’s employer HR office, if relevant, to alert them to the detention, check ongoing employment, and see what support they can provide to the detainee and their family. 
  • Local Groups – local community groups, such as faith communities, PTO’s, social clubs, neighborhood associations and others nearby who can coordinate community care and mutual aid. 
  • Local Nonprofits – other nonprofits in your area who can help! Check out Find Help and/or 211Maine for potential supporting nonprofits. 
  • Hotline – If you need help finding other local resources, call the Hotline! 207-544-9989

TAKE ACTION

Volunteer and Donate to Organizations and Key Funds!

  • LEGAL SERVICES
    • Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) – DONATE
    • ACLU Maine – DONATE
    • Maine Law, Refugee and Human Rights Clinic (RHRC) – DONATE. When donating to RHRC, select “Clinics at Maine Law” and then write RHRC in the “Other Designation” line. 
  • FINANCIAL RESOURCES
    • The Solidarity Fund – DONATE. 
    • Community Relief Fund – DONATE. 
    • Mainers for Humane Immigration – VOLUNTEER; DONATE. 
    • Project Relief Maine – DONATE 
    • L/A Rapid Response – DONATE
    • Families in Crisis fund of the Foundation for Portland Public Schools – DONATE
    • Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network – DONATE
  • COORDINATING ORGANIZATIONS
    • Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (MIRC) – VOLUNTEER; DONATE
    • People’s Coalition for Safety and Justice (PCSJ) – VOLUNTEER 
  • IMMIGRANT SERVING ORGANIZATIONS